From the archives: Have you tried prayer?

Another ATPI road trip class shot, I took this one in 2007 inside a dilapidated building that had once been a segregated black school in East Texas. I think they had plans to renovate it and turn it into a community center.

We found a few objects lying around in the rubble to use for some simple still life. I chose these two objects because I felt they mixed well with the history of the building. We had plenty of natural light streaming in from the damaged roof.

The more I teach and study photography and famous photographers, the more I think about my own style. I think I favor simple but strong images in my composition and aesthetic. A lot of times I’m drawn to subject I can capture with some quirk or humor. I’m also drawn to nostalgia and sentiment, the latter of which comes through in this image (perhaps too strongly). After a reading what I’ve just written, I’d say nearly the same thing about my writing style.

I like what I once heard Ansel Adams say in a documentary about why he chose the subjects he did. “If I feel strongly enough about something, my reaction is to make a photograph,” Adams said. It’s the essence of visual communication.